PHILADELPHIA _ It was a struggle but the Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff berth with a 90-82 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Bucks are going back to the postseason after a determined effort led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Greg Monroe broke out of a slump while attacking the basket and added 17 points and five rebounds.
Milwaukee (41-39) stayed in sixth place in the Eastern Conference race, one game ahead of Indiana (40-40), which beat Orlando. A loss by the Chicago Bulls (39-41) combined with the Bucks victory meant the Bucks had secured their second playoff spot in three years under coach Jason Kidd.
Milwaukee trailed, 48-42, at halftime and was down by as many as 10 points in the second quarter.
The Bucks used a 15-8 run at the end of the third quarter to take a 67-60 lead and they extended it in the fourth quarter behind some strong play from Monroe and Matthew Dellavedova, who ended with 14 points.
Richaun Holmes led the 76ers (28-52) with 17 points and Dario Saric had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
